A social networking system (e.g., Facebook or LinkedIn) may enable users to declare their relationships with each other (e.g., as colleagues, acquaintances, friends, fans, followers, etc.). For example, a first person may declare himself to be a friend of a second person. The second person may then confirm the declaration of friendship of the first person. Similarly, the first person and the second person may acknowledge having a professional relationship with one another (e.g., as having worked together as colleagues for a current or past employer).
In some circumstances, it may be difficult or cumbersome for a user to establish a relationship with another user via the social networking system. For example, a first user may personally know or be acquainted with a second user, but the first user may be unable to locate an online profile of the second user with respect to the social networking system. Or the first user may be unwilling or unable to complete the steps (e.g., declaration and acknowledgement steps) required to establish the relationship with second user (e.g., because of time constraints). Because an entity associated with the social networking system (e.g., an owner) may benefit from establishment of such relationships between users of the social networking system (e.g., from advertising, subscription, or other revenue), the entity may wish to simplify procedures for establishing such relationships.